Hemmig Earns Employee of the Month

Chef du cuisine Jeffery Hemmig is the Employee of the Month at Country Living at Westview Commons. Since his hiring in August of 2020 he has worked towards identifying the best ways to use his particular skill set at this grand, new, independent and assisted living facility in Dayville, CT. Jeff understands gourmet as well as traditional home-style cooking; making mealtimes there highly anticipated events. Westview Commons presents its residents with many catered lifestyle elements, and the food ranks among the most frequent favorable feedback. The menus always include well-considered options such as meat, seafood, or vegetarian dishes. While Jeff brings grand, personal knowledge to the kitchen, he maintains that he is much more interested in what the residents desire to eat versus what he wants to cook.

Jeff brings grand, personal knowledge to the kitchen...

Born in California, Jeff moved to the New England area at an early age. Growing up in Brooklyn, Connecticut, Jeff recalls sharing homemade dinners 6 or 7 nights each week with his family. While he wasn’t doing a lot of the cooking during those years, it is there he learned the importance of meals as a means of bringing people together. Jeff thinks about his menus carefully and weighs several factors in the process: “I think food needs to be more than nutritional, filling calories that taste good—though I firmly believe in that! The broader point is that food is at its best when it can be a part of the conversation between the people gathered,” Jeff asserted. After graduating from the Woodstock Academy he enrolled at Quinebaug Valley Community College and ultimately applied to Johnson and Wales University to study culinary arts. Graduating from JWU four years later, he further sharpened his skills by working at some of Windham County’s finest restaurants. Through all of his experiences, education, and employment, Jeff focused on learning traditional techniques for cooking well-rounded meals. He cites Jacques Pepin and Julia Childs as large inspiration; teaching him the principle that great food leads to great moments around a table. Jeff currently lives in Dayville with his wife Jean and their son Jace. Outside of the kitchen, Jeff relishes every opportunity to make memories with family, highlighting the coaching of his son’s baseball team as one of his favorite pastimes.

Great food leads to great moments around a table...

Jeff appreciates the dedicated dietary staff of Country Living at Westview Commons and feels honored to be selected as the Employee of the Month. “I’m very humbled to receive this award. I’m really happy to be here cooking alongside this great staff for all of these wonderful people. It’s even better that I can perform this role at Westview Commons so close to home.” he remarked. Westview Commons Executive Director Donna Copeland values the culinary contributions Jeff makes to the residents’ total experience, remarking: “Jeff has proven over the course of thousands of meals that we have gourmet dining here at Country Living at Westview Commons. He does a great job of understanding both the wishes of our residents and the strengths of our team in the kitchen.”

Country Living at Westview Commons is a 75-unit independent and assisted living community conveniently located in picturesque Northeastern Connecticut. Affiliated with Westview Health Care Center, a nationally-ranked nursing facility according to CMS and U.S. News and World Report for the past years, Westview Commons is a 115,000 square foot catered living facility dedicated to a genuine 5-star experience including outstanding service, culinary expertise and professional in-house entertainment. Located in Dayville, CT, Westview Commons combines convenience, tranquility and comfort; providing a lifestyle that seniors deserve.